


Moving On

by willowwand



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Post-Hogwarts, Post-War, The Quidditch Pitch: Leaving Feast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-07-07
Updated: 2008-07-07
Packaged: 2018-10-26 09:26:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10784043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/willowwand/pseuds/willowwand
Summary: Ron and Ginny discuss the year that the trio spent looking for Horcruxes and what changes are yet to come. Gen!ficWritten for Exartemarte for TQP's Ron-a-Thon Silent Auction.





	Moving On

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

Moving On

 

*~*

 

The heat in the attic was nearly unbearable. Ron pushed his fringe back from his forehead, mopping up sweat with the back of his hand. He let out a groan and raised his wand, using a Levitating charm to move a box against the wall of the attic.

 

The ghoul was staring morosely from a shadowy corner. It was still clad in Ron’s threadbare paisley pajamas and appeared to be unhappy with being banished from the bedroom it lived in for nearly a year.

 

Without warning, Ron let loose a violent sneeze, causing the heavy box he was Levitating to clatter to the floor. He swore loudly and rushed over to see if anything was broken.

 

“So it isn’t the ghoul making all that noise.”

 

Ron turned abruptly and saw Ginny peering through the hatch of the attic. “I sneezed and dropped a box… all this dust….” he muttered.

 

“You could have tried a Scouring Charm, you know,” Ginny said, making her way into the room.

 

“I already tried, Ginny. It’s been ages since Mum has tidied in here.”

 

He pulled at the front of his t-shirt, peeling it from his sweaty skin. 

 

“Why are you up here?” she asked.

 

“Mum thinks that Harry should have some personal space, so she’s giving him Percy’s old room.”

 

“And Percy is okay with this?”

 

“It was his idea,” Ron said. “Mum wanted him to come back home, but I reckon he wants to stay in London…near George.”

 

Ginny nodded sadly. Percy had taken Fred’s death hard, and had been spending all his free time at George’s flat.

 

“I’m surprised that Harry didn’t say anything about this,” she said, changing the subject.

 

Ron snorted. “He doesn’t know. He wouldn’t have wanted Mum to go to the trouble. Of course, she just put me to work moving Percy’s things the moment Harry left to visit Teddy.”

 

“Want some help?”

 

“You sure?” 

 

Ginny shrugged. “As long as you don’t tell Mum I used my wand.”

 

Ron grinned and they set to work.

 

“So Harry came up to bed rather late last night,” he said. “What were you two doing?”

 

She shot him an annoyed look. “We were talking.”

 

“Talking.” He snorted. “Right.”

 

“Harry was telling me about last year,” Ginny said seriously. “About the Horcruxes.”

 

Ron twisted his neck to look at his sister, losing concentration and causing Percy’s Hogwarts trunk to fall to the floor of the attic with a dusty thump.

 

“Y-yeah?” Ron said, trying to sound nonchalant. 

 

“He thought I should know about the diary. That Voldemort stuck a bit of his soul in it and that’s why…”

 

Ron sighed. “Yeah, that’s why.”

 

“Harry told me he couldn’t even cast a Patronus while he was wearing that locket.”

 

“Yeah, it felt really strange.”

 

Ginny sat up and looked at Ron. “You felt it, too?”

 

“Er, yeah,” he said, looking awkward.

 

“How bad was it?” Ginny said 

 

Hoping to delay his answer, he dragged a large pewter cauldron across the floor, grunting as he did so. 

 

“Pretty bad,” Ron said finally. “I _thought_ things…Sort of like being around a Dementor but different…I don’t know how to explain it.”

 

“No, it’s okay” she said, frowning. “I understand. Did he…er…possess you?”

 

He shook his head. “It didn’t get to that point. Mind you, it was pretty bad. I can’t imagine if he’d actually been… you know.”

 

Ginny looked down. The only time Ron remembered her speaking about the time she’d been possessed was during fifth year after their Dad was attacked by Voldemort’s snake. He couldn’t blame her for not wanting to talk about that. 

 

“It was really cool what you guys did, starting up the D.A. again,” Ron said, changing the subject. 

 

“We had to do something,” Ginny said. “You lot were off saving the world. You have no idea what it was like. I was so worried not knowing what the three of you were doing, where you were.”

 

Ron looked thoughtful as he ran his hand through his sweaty hair. “How much did Harry tell you about what happened last year?”

 

She gave him an odd look. “What do you mean? He told me everything.”

 

“What did he tell you about last Christmas?” he clarified.

 

“Godric’s Hollow,” she said. “He and Hermione… Wait… I can’t remember him mentioning… You weren’t there, were you?”

 

Ron shook his head.

 

“What happened?” she asked, her eyes automatically traveling to the gouge in his arm, no doubt imagining some grave injury.

 

Ron looked ashamed. “It isn’t something I’m proud of, but hear me out…”

 

Ginny looked curiously at her brother.

 

“Me and Harry had a row. It was really bad…and I sort of…left.”

 

“Left?” Ginny said.

 

He averted his eyes. “I Disapparated away from them. I don’t know what I was thinking. I was so angry. That locket… I…”

 

“Where did you go?” Ginny asked. Ron thought she sounded a little angry. He was sure she was, but her curiosity was holding her temper at bay.

 

“Bill’s. Once I Apparated away, my head cleared a bit. I wanted to go back, but I was caught by some Snatchers. They were right pathetic, but by the time I got free of them, Harry and Hermione had already left. It was hell being hidden away at Bill’s while they were out there. There wasn’t a way for me to find them. I was out of my mind. If anything had happened to them while I was away, I don’t know what I would have done. It was bad enough to find out later that they had nearly got killed in Godric’s Hollow.”

 

“But you had to have met up with Harry and Hermione eventually,” Ginny said. “You were there in Malfoy Manor.”

 

“Yeah, I caught up with them on Christmas. Because of my Deluminator,” Ron said. “I was messing around with it one night when I heard Hermione’s voice come out of it. At first I thought I was dreaming.” Ron ignored Ginny’s snort and continued. “When I flicked it, this ball of blue light appeared and went inside me. I Apparated away. Took me a couple of days to find them, but I did. Found Harry diving into a freezing pond. Nutter.”

 

“He told me that,” Ginny said. “Thank God you were there.”

 

“Yeah, well, I owed him that much. I was a real prat.”

 

Neither of them spoke for several minutes, they merely continued moving boxes against the walls of the attic.

 

When Ginny finally spoke again, it was with humor in her voice. “So is what Harry said true? Did you really offer to teach Hermione our family tree?”

 

Ron’s ears burned. “What did you expect me to do? Those Ministry gits were cracking down on all the Muggle-borns. I couldn’t let them send her to Azkaban… or worse.”

 

“Of course not. I was just wondering about something.”

 

Ginny’s voice trailed off and Ron looked up at her questioningly.

 

“Wouldn’t people have thought it was strange for you to be snogging your cousin?” she asked with a smirk.

 

“There was absolutely no snogging going on then.”

 

“ _Then_ ,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Well, when she goes back to Hogwarts there won’t be any snogging going on at all,” he muttered.

 

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Worried about that, are you?”

 

“I’m not worried about it,” he said angrily. “I was just stating a fact.”

 

“You know Hermione won’t be happy unless she finishes school,” Ginny said. “It’s important to her.”

 

“I know that,” Ron said. “It’s just hard to imagine her being away for so long… And I promised her after we escaped from Malfoy Manor that I wouldn’t leave her again.”

 

“This isn’t exactly the same thing, Ron.”

 

“Maybe,” he said, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

 

She looked around the attic. “Think we’re about finished here?”

 

“Yeah,” Ron said, looking at his wristwatch. “Harry should be back soon and Mum should have lunch ready by now.”

 

“Better wash up, then,” Ginny said, dusting her hands on her jeans.

 

Ron and Ginny made their way to the hatch.

 

“You’ll come to my Quidditch matches, won’t you?” she said, as she lowered the staircase. “We haven’t had a Weasley captain the Gryffindor team since Charlie. And you’d have an excuse to see Hermione.”

 

“As though I’d need an excuse,” he joked. “I’m a war hero, remember?”

 

Ginny rolled her eyes and climbed down. Ron followed her  down to the landing outside of his bedroom, and he used his wand to close the hatch behind them.

 

“I reckon I could come, just to make sure you don’t run the team into the ground,” Ron said.

 

“Thanks, Ron,” Ginny said sarcastically.

 

“Anytime, baby sister,” Ron said, laughing as they made their way down to the kitchen for lunch.


End file.
